Nico's unexpected encounters

Black van

Modeus carefully removed the candles from his rune circle. Just out of reach of my sword. He then took a piece of chalk off of a ledge on the back wall and came to face me again.

"Once I break the circle with a discharge rune you will be free to walk about. If you try to kill me with your weapon, then there will be consequences. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"Good."

He then proceeded to cross out almost all the runes on the ground. Effectively releaseing me from my invisible cell. Cautiously, I poked a foot out. When I was satisfied that I wouldn't get electrocuted on the spot, I stepped out fully.

The thought of booking it out of the room crossed my mind, but I probably wouldn't make it that far. So I changed my focus to my kidnapper.

He pulled his hood back over his head and gestured towards the exit. "After you." I hesitantly walked forward and up the stairs that served as the exit.

The air chilled my bones. I looked into the night sky and saw that it was a full moon. As I surveyed my surroundings I found that we had emerged from an old tomb crypt. Tombstones surrounded us in every direction.

I wasn't surprised that one of Hades' last temples was in a graveyard. It's the perfect location for one to be. The body buried around it could serve as a good defense.

"Remember, "Modeus said, coming to stand beside me. "You try anything, and I push the trigger." My stomach twisted with rage. He thought he could take advantage of me. Well, let's just see how nicely that turns out for him.

I crossed my arms. "Why would I forget the 'easy' headache you so graciously bestowed upon me."

He frowned, then continued walking, waving at me to follow. And I did. Gods this was humiliating.

We soon exited the grave yard and came to a dirt road. The trees swayed in the wind but the cold didn't bother me. Sitting on the road was a white van with no back windows. I remember Annabeth telling me that the government usually used these kind of vans to get around easier without being noticed. Just seeing the thing made me shiver. Did Modeus work for the government? It didn't seem likely. The government didn't know the gods existed.

Modeus opened the back of the van and took out what looked to be a med kit. "come over here... Lord." He said with bitterness.

"If I'm your 'Lord' as you say, why can't you be the one following my orders?"

"Hmmm. Well, I have to practice sometime. Don't I?"

"Practice for what?" I scrunched my eyebrows together.

"For our little ah, act. I am going to be your humble servant while you," he pointed to me. "take down some of the strongest superheroes earth has ever seen."

I frowned. Superheroes? Was that a thing now? What had happened in my 73 year stay at the Lotus Hotel?

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain more when the time comes. Right now it's time to go." He pulled what looked to be a modified version of handcuffs out of the 'med kit'. "Now come get in the van so I can strap you in."

I scowled. He already had 'control' over me. Why couldn't he just be happy with that?

My head started to pound. "I'm a not very patient man son of Hades. Its best you learn that quickly." I he keeps this up, I might as well cut off his hand.

I reluctantly made my way over the the van and climbed in. Modeus didn't hesitate to follow. He clamped the handcuffs on. They pinched a little but not too bad. Then tied my feet together with some of the rope on the van floor.

"Is this all really necessary?" I questioned.

"Yes. With people like you I always need to take precautions. I would drug you but I'm very low of resources at the moment." He took a blindfold out of his robe pocket.

"Ah, I see. That's why you need me. You had no other option." He tied the blindfold over my face before I saw his reaction.

"There is no purpose for you to know the reasoning of your summoning." I felt a strap of some kind being pulled over me. Most likely a seatbelt. "It's what's in your future that you need to worry about."

"Feel lucky that I can not touch your sword. Even in its ring form, like you have it now, it is dangerous to anyone or anything that comes into contact. I do not wish to leave this life yet." It was true. Only children of Hades could wield a stygian iron weapon. The substance recognized them as a living corpse (due to their constantly cold skin). The iron can't take a soul out of a corpse, so there's no harm in using such a weapon.

I couldn't see anything but I could defiantly here the back doors slam close. The front door was opened then shut and the van lurched into motion.

<:::::::::::::::::::[]===

I felt like I was in that van for days. It probably only took a few hour though. I sat there with not his to do but stare into the blackness of my blind fold. I tried whistling at one point to see if that would solve my boredom but even I could tell that It was horrible. I think I even ended up falling asleep for a little while. By the time the van had stoped my legs felt stiff from not being able to move them around properly.

After an eternity of waiting, the back doors opened. My feet and seatbelt were undone and I was dragged out of the van. I stumbled a bit before I caught my balance. I still had the blindfold on so I couldn't see were we had stoped. I was used to being in the underworld were there isn't much light so I had little trouble walking as I was pushed forward.

We stoped and the blindfold was removed from my head. I blinked and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the bright light.

I was standing in a warehouse with broken glass and all sorts of thrash littering the ground. The sun's first light of the day was shining through the windows. Modeus had walked over to a table and placed a bag on the table.

"Heres our breakfast." He pulled a couple of fast food containers out of the bag. "And this is the place where you will put on my show." He gestured at our surroundings. "Make yourself comfortable and ready to obey. Todays going to be a long day."

"And what about these?" I raised my arms up, showing off the handcuffs.

"I do not trust you to cut me down when my back is turned. For now, you will leave them on. Come over here and eat. You'll need the energy."

I hated this guy. Telling me where to walk or when to eat. Tying me up like a criminal. Who does he think he is?!

I didn't refuse his offer of food though. I was tired after the car trip and I wanted to be at the top of my game if I where to backstab Modeus. Not literally. I don't kill mortals. I'll probably just let him get eaten by the monsters that are sure to come after me. If there was one thing that I could count on. It would be monsters attacking me at the first chance they had.

"It better not be poisoned" I said as I eyed the Macdonald's biscuit I had picked up.

"Why would I poison you when I need you in my plan, Lord. I wouldn't have gone through all that work of summoning you if I was just going to kill you right after. What could I gain from that?" He looked me in the eyes. "No, that wouldn't due. I have a much better use for you."

I cought the gift in his eyes and for the first time since I had arrived, I decided not to underestimate Modeus Larkin.

1,376 words

Thank you to all who read and enjoy my story. I really appreciate it!

-Daughter of Hecate